Edwin l



NITED STATES PATENT FFicE.

EDWIN L. GODING, or PORTLAND, MAINE.

LAST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,382, dated May 24,1898.

Application filed March 22, 1895- Serial No 542,743. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN L. GODING, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State ofMaine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts; andIdo hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the'art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in lasts, and more particularly inand to that class of lasts known in the trade as followers.

It consists in forming the last in two independent parts,one (the heel)part being standard and adapted to be used with any style and, withincertain limits, any size of foreparts. In the art in its present stateof development it is customary to change frequently the shape and styleof shoes; but this change in the shape and style is effected by changingthe fore part only of the last, inasmuch as the heel of the last has thesame length and a standard shape for sizes ranging from 2% to 5 and from5 upward. I have taken advantage of this well-known fact in the presentinvention and by making the heel separate and reducing the forward endof it, or that part which comes in contact with the rear portion of thefore part of the last, make a last-heel which is interchangeable andwithin the limits specified capable of being used with any fore part. Itis found to be unnecessary for the follower to completely fill the shoeat the narrow part,between the heel and instep portion, the shoe at thatpart being kept in proper form by the tension produced by forcing theheel part into the shoe. If the last was made in the usual form anddivided by a straight out without any change in the form, the heel partcould not be interchangeable, because it must make a perfect joint withthe fore part and be perfectly symmetrical at the point of contact.Moreover, it would not be possible to divide the last on a vertical ordiagonal line extending downwardly toward the toe, because if thusdivided it would be impossible to insert the heel after the fore partwas placed in the boot, and it is found that when the last is divided ona diagonal line, extending downwardly toward the heel the heel part hasa tendency to work loose. I therefore make the forward end of the heelpart to vary from the symmetrical outline of the last, making theforward end of the heel part at the point of contact with the fore partconsiderably reduced. To facilitate the insertion and removal of theheel part, I hinge the unsymmetrical portion of the heel to the heelproper and cut away the top of the heel or of the hinged portion, or ofboth. Whenever such change takes place it necessitates the employment ofan entirely new set of lasts, involving a considerable expense therefor.It is the purpose of the present invention to curtail to some extentthis expense by rendering it necessary to supply only the fore part ofthe last, which is the changeable part. To this end I form the last intwo parts, the top part terminating at a point at or near the instep,the rear face of said top part being vertical or inclined downwardlytoward the toe. The heel of the last has hinged thereto an intermediatesection which does not necessarily conform to the outline of the shoe atthe point of contact. Said hinged section above the pivot-point may beinclined from the perpendicular downwardly toward the heel to permitsaid heel to turn on its hinges forward to facilitate the insertion ofthe last into the shoe and its removal therefrom by permitting the heelto swing upward and forward toward the front of the shoe. The shape ofthis intermediate section may be varied indefinitely, but none of itsproportions should be greater than the fore part of the last at thepoint of contact.

It is only necessary for it to have a flat surheel-plate,which issometimes used. Another advantage of this construction is that two foreparts may be turned at the same time, the two parts pointing in oppositedirections.

When the blank is finished, it is divided in the center. The fore partmay be made of pulp or other light and cheap material, inasmuch as therewill be very little strain on that part. By this construction also theuse of a last-block and fastener therefor is avoided, saving thatexpense and the expense of providing means to prevent the block frombecoming mislaid or separated from its own last, in which case theordinary last is worthless, because the blocks are not interchangeable.

I In the drawings herewith accompanying and forming a part of thisapplication, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a lastembodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the heeldisconnected from the fore part.

Same letters refer to like parts.

In said drawings, arepresents the fore part; b, the heel, and c theintermediate section, pivotally attached to the heel portion by means ofa hinge d. The intermediate section has its top inclined downwardlytoward the rear, as seen at e, and the heel section may be inclineddownwardly and forwardly, as seen at f, to permit the heel to swing onthe intermediate section, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, tofacilitate the insertion of the last into the shoe and removing ittherefrom.

I am aware that lasts have been divided on a diagonal line inclineddownwardly toward the heel, and I do notclaim a fore part of a last thusconstructed.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to divide a last transversely toitslength, and I do not claim the fore part of a last, broadly, but onlythe specific structure herein described and specifically claimed, thesame being specially adapted to be used in connection with my heel andshank hereinbefore described.

I claim 1. A divided last consisting of a fore part, a heel, and anintermediate section, the lateral surfaces of which are unsymmetricalwith said fore part and heel when the several parts are placed adjacentto each other, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A divided last consisting of a fore part, a heel, and an intermediatesection hinged to said heel, the lateral surfaces of said intermediatesection being unsymmetrical with said fore part and heel when theseveral parts are placed adjacent to each other, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

3. A divided last consisting of a fore part, a heel and an unsymmetricalintermediate section hinged to said heel, the top of said intermediatesection being inclined downwardly toward the heel to permit said heel tobe turned on said hinge, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a lastheel formed in two sectionshinged together, the adjacent faces being cut away at the top, theforward section varying from the symmetrical outline of the last bybeing reduced in size to adapt it to be used with fore parts of lasts ofdifferent styles and sizes, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a uni-v versal last-heel divided ata point at or near the instep and having its forward end reduced in sizefrom the symmetrical outlines of the last, said forward end beingadapted. to engage the upright end of the fore parts of lasts ofdifferent styles and sizes, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

6. As a new article of manufacture a lastheel adapted to be used withlasts of different styles and sizes consisting of two parts, a heelproper and a brace hinged thereto and adapted to engage the rear end ofthe fore part of the last when these said parts are inserted ina shoethe size of said brace being in cross-section smaller than-the adjacentedge of the fore part of the last, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses,this 20th day of March, 1895.

EDWIN L. GODING.

Witnesses:

ELGIN C. VERRILL, NATHAN CLIFFORD.

